Apparatus for controlling webs



LXAMINER 9 L im n. 7 8, t 7 .m 0, ,m w 21M f.. ,Y um w MMR N f L s L B m m m w. .I M lf rm T. n UU .O WG m w fm m n MK. m ,1PM mw T X 9 M m E uw m P 9 JM M 8 w M 0 9 2 i z A w 5 9 2 1 U R i 7 A X Y 2 5. 7.5M@ #1. 1 2 0 1 Z 2 8 D P 5 I Y Z F t, y i Filed ay 19, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l v /Tl (16W Y ATTORNEY `T my W #Y w1 M N .al v

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Y APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING WEBS Filed lay 19, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Patented Apr. 27, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE Application Hay l', 1931, Serial No. $38,656

Chilli My invention relates to apparatus for controlling the web in a printing press or other similar machine in which paper or other similar material is fed. More particularly, my invention relates to improved mechanism and method oi controlling the lateral deviations of a web of paper from its normal path.

The object of this invention is to provide a novel means for keeping paper or other material. such as the paper in a newspaper printing press.

etc., usually called the web, running past a given place at a given distance from a fixed point at the side.

Another object is to provide such novel means l5 as will keep the web closely in line and not. as is usually the case, correct the position aiter it has shown visual evidence oi having run out to the side.

Another object is to provide means for accomplishing the above objects which shall be en- ,tirely automatic, and require no overseeing whatjfver. A more specific object oi my invention is to provide an apparatus for correcting lateral deviations of a web in which a detector,

Y ff" spaced from a point of control. operates la;-

W-and, more speciilcally, imes it ceases operation prior to the time that a change in position o1 the web at the point oi control is indicated at the point at which the detector is positioned.

A further specific object oi my invention is to provide a method oi controlling lateral deviay tions oi a web through the practice of which Ano er specc oject of my invention is to provide a method oi an apparatus for controlling lateral deviations oi a web by the practice and use oi which, in a large percentage oi cases. a change in position of the web will not be caused 40 by temporary changes in the position (i. e. tears and notches) o! an edge o! the web.

I attain these and other objects by the means shown in the accompanying drawings and in which:

Fig. l is a diagrammatic view o! the device.

Fig. 2 is a section thru the detector showing the arrangement of the lamp. the photoelectric cell and the slots.

Fig. 3 is a diagram of the timer li shown in Fig. 1 in perspective.

Fig. 4 is a section oi Fig. 2 showing the relation between the slots M. the edge o! the web l and the photocell 2|.

Referring to the drawings, l is the web coming from the roll 2 passing over the roller 3 and Yand the between the drag rolls 4 and l. The end 6 o! the web may go to a printing press, a folding machine or other mechanism into which the web must be ted straight.

The roll i is mounted on a support 1 capable 5 oi being moved laterally to either aide thru the screw I, the worm wheel l and the worm Il by the motor iljhich is shown here as a D. C. reversible motor. A drive of this kind is in common use at present for this purpose but the 10 controls are now operated manually.

I'he direction o! rotation of the motor il is controlled by the reversing switch i2 which is controlled by the relay il which, in turn, is controlled by the detector unit Il thru the re- 15 lay IS.

Ihe detector unit y comprises a light sensitive unit it of w ch the relay II has been placed separately in the diagram in order to be able to follow its operation in making the con- ,o tacts l1 and Il when the light from the lamps il and 2l strikes the photoelectric gli 2|, Fig. 2.

Driven by the drag roll 4 from the pinion 22 is the gear 28 which is rigidly attached to the shaft 2l onwhichare mounted the drums 2i, 2t, z5

and 21 and the slip ring 28 which is insulated from the shaft Il by the nbre bushing 28a. The drums are made `of a nonconducting material and provided with conztmmdrll. and 8l. me slip ring 2l an e shoes 2l, ,IL and o l! are connected together electrically by the connector Q l. Making contact with the drums are the brushes 8i, It. 81, ll, Il, and Il which distribute the current where and when required.

In the detector unit Il the lamps il and 20 35 are enclosed in boxes 2 and 43 respectively in the bottom of which are the slots Il and ll regpectively which are located with reference to the edge of the web i so that the slot 44 is inside of the edge of the web and the slot '45 is just o over the edge with a narrow space between the two slots. the width o! the slot and the space between depending on how closely it is desired to control the web.

Located below the above slots is the slot It in 45 the top of the box 41 in which is located the photoelectric cgllwli together with the ampliiier the unit. This unit is a commercial unit and its construction is not part of this invention. 'The type used here is that 50 'in which the current passing thru the unit increases with the increase of light but with a little modiilcation the type in which the current increases when the light is cut ci! could be used.

It will be seen that the iight from either of the 55 gustoso.' d

a 1 L Ufiaf energizes the magnet It on the boxes 42 or 43 will cause the photoelectric cell to act and close the relay Il.

Attached adjacent to and operated by the worrn wh e1 Lis the timgLLL Figs. l and 3. which controls the amount of rotation of the worm wheel l and therefore the amount of lateral movement of the spider 1.

The timer consists of two arms of iron 4I and 4l located on each side of the worm wheel l and pivoted to the yoke Il at li and l2 respectively with the electromagnet l2 between them' so that when the magnet il is energized the arms 44 and 48 will pinch and adhere to the worm wheel l. The yoke il is pivoted on .the @which is suitably supported. but this means is not shown as it would unnecessarily confuse the drawings. The yoke Il is provided with an upstanding finger I5 held in a vertical position by the opposing springs Il and Il. Pivoted on the bars Il and il are the depending ngers 4l and 4i which are provided with electrical contact points 42 nd I3 insulated from the said ngers by the insula rs 4 and l5. The contact points are held in contact by the spring and the pivotal movement of the said finger is limited by the stop pins 4l and 4l which allow the point to come in contact but which limit the movement of the said lingers. Located on each side of the upstanding nnger DI :and mounted in the fingers 40 and Il are the screws Il and Hl against which the finger 65 contacts when it breaks the contact l2 or 68 when the worm wheel l has rotated the predetermined amount to either side.

The reversing switch l2 is operated by the solenoids Il and I2 which are operated thru the relay I I.

The wiring diagram has been numbered at all points of junction as well as at terminals to facllitate explanations. Y

'nie operation of the device is as follows. and this explanation will, at the same time. constitute an explanation of the wiring diagram:-

The detector unit is assumed to be properly located with reference to the edge of the web to be controlled and placed at a given distance from the roll 2. This distance depends on a large number of things and it may be any distance but the ratio of the gears 22 and 22 is governed by this distance as it is important to allow enough web to pass by the detector I4 after each reading to show the eilect of the correction at the detector before shifting the roll 2 again. Therefore. the drums on the shaft 24 are driven at auch a ratio to the web that the web must travel from the roll 2 to the detector i4 in the time elapsing between contacts. In many cases where frequent control is not necessary this ratio can be much greater and the web may travel two or three times the distance before another contact is made. Y '1 As the shaft 24 rotates it carries the drums 2i, 2i. 21. and 2l with it and immediately after moving in the direction of the arrows from the position shown in Fig. l the shoes 2l and 8| come under the brushes I5 and 81 respectively which 4i and turns on the lamp Il inehox u. lf y thereafter the shoe 32 comes under the brush Il which makes the line 29-24 alive. If the paper is in the proper position it covers the slot 44. no light passes thru to the photoelectric cell and nothing happens, but ii' the paper is oil to the left in Figs. 1 and 2 the light will fall on the photoelectric cellandtherelay Ilwillclose thecontacte Hand Il'. o

CROSS REFERENCE Il which in turn open II and .'and ca n .n the reversing switch I2 to the left in Fig. l which will turn on the motor il and cause the worm wheel I to rotate and turn the screw I, moving the support I and the roll 2 toward the right in Fig. l to an amount determined by trial and set bytheacrewsi .Inthiscaseitwould contact with the screw and after the worm wheel l has made the necessary part of a revolution the i'lnger l5 will push on the screw 10, break the contacts 62 and il and stop the motor.

As soon as the shoes 2l, 3l. and 32 have gotten 'out cf contact with the brushes 35, 21, and 39, respectively, the lines connected therewith will become dead and al rts resume their normal too far to the right.

,i'urther rotation oi' the shaft 24 causes the ahoes ll and Il to make contact with the brushes Il and I4 respectively, lighting the lampjil in the box 48 which.'if the web is in the central position. allows the light to pass thru the slot 45 and strike the photoelectric cell 2i and close the contacts I1 and Il which opens contacts It and I4. This closes Il and 24 again but as this line is open nothing occurs. 'Immediately thereafter the shoe 22 contacts with the brush 82 which energinea the line M but, as this has just been opened. nothing happens. Ii'. however. the web is on' to the right in Figs. rand 2 the slot 45 is covered. the relay il is not opelated and the circuit u, II, I4, 2285. I6 is therefore closed and causes the magnet l2' to operate the reversing switch I2 and turn on the motor so as to rotate the worm wheel to move the roll 2 to the left in Fis. l. Contact of the shoe 20 with the brush Il has energized the magnet J as in the preceding case.

It will be seen that when the web rides to either side it will cause a movement of the roll 2 in the opposite direction at riodic intervals so long u an no a n so mg and the correc e one rvals in o der to give the correcting means time to correct and the detecting means time to see if the proper correction has been made before making another correction. Prom what has already been said .it will be apparent that the timer is on only when light from lamp Il reaches photocell 2i or when light from lamp 2l cannot reach photocell 2|. IIherefore any notches in the edge of the paper will actuate the timer only when the notch in the paper and the contact or the commutator coincide, which will be only occasionally. If this should occur the operation of the motor Il will last only for the fraction of a second and not enough to atleet the position of the paper.

I am aware that an automatic web control is not new in itself and I therefore do not claim iauch an invention broadly.

Various modifications may be made in the above described embodiment of my invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as .set forth in the following claims:

What I claim is:

1. The combination of a web mounted on supporting means provided with mechanism for moving said supporting means laterally. a source of light capable of being interrupted or intercepted by said web, and means brought into action when said web deviates from its allotted path whereby the light causes the moving mechanism to move said supporting means laterally a predetermined connect terminals 83 and 94. I

EXAMIN lli amaca 3 amount, said amotmt being independent ci the deviation of said web.

2. 'Ibe combination of a web, means for supporting said web. means for moving said web `laterally, means located at one edge provided with two lights which are capable `oi' being independently turned on at intervals depending on the web movement, means for ntrolling the lights, means actuated thru these lights to actuate said means for moving the web laterally in either direction by moving said supporting means and means for limiting the amount by which said moving means shall act.

3. The combination of a web. means ior .sup 4porting said web capable ot moving laterally in either direction. means provided with two slots thru which is passed light from two light sources respectively at intervals but not at the same time. means tor turning on either light alternately, light sensitive means capable oi receiving the light from either light source and which operates said light sensitive means for making a circuit when light strikes it. switching means controlling the means tor moving the web laterally and means including said light sensitive means whereby said switching means causes the lateral movement of the supporting means to one side when the light passes thru the first of said slots and to the other side ii the light in the second named slot is intercepted.

4. The combination of a web, means for supporting said web and moving it laterally, means provided with two slots one oi which normally lies over the web and the other lies directly outside oi the edge of the web. means whereby light can be directed iirst to one and then to the other of said slots, light sensitive means capable oi receiving light thru either slot, two sets oi circuits controlled by said light sensitive means, means operated by said light sensitive means when the light strikes it to open one of said circuits and close the other and means controlled by these circuits for operating said lateral moving means to one side when the iight passes thru the ilrst named slot and to the other side when the light in the second named slot is intercepted by said web.

5. The combination of a longitudinally moving web, means for moving said web laterally in either direction. a series oi electrical circuits. a series oi commutators and brushes for controlling said circuits said commutators being rotated proportionately to the movement oi said web and constituting a timing means, means for controlling the amount of said lateral movement so that said web can move laterally only a predetermined amount each time it is moved, two light sources each located over a slot, one of said light 'sources and slot being just past the edge oi said web and the other light and slot located lust inside oi the edge oi said web; light sensitive means capable oi receiving light from both of said light sources and means whereby said lightI sensitive means, thru the rotation of said commutators under said brushes energizes one of said circuits and causes said means for moving said web laterally to move said web to one side when the light from the light source which `is located above the slot located past the edge of said web is blocked oil by said web and further rotation of said commutators energizes another circuit and causes said means for moving said web laterally to move said web to the other side when the light from the second named light'l source strikes said light sensitive means thru the other of said slots when said slot is uncovered by said web.

6. The combination of a longitudinally moving web, current controlling means operating at a lixed relative speed in said longitudinal movement. means for moving said web laterally a predetermined amount each time the said moving means is operated and light sensitive means operated by suitable light sources located at the edge oi vsaid web for determining if said web has deviated from its allotted path, said light sensitive means being rendered operative thru said light sources and said current control thereby causing said means for moving said web laterally to operattle and move said web back toward its allotted pa 7. The combination of a web capable oi moving longitudinally, which it is required to keep in line; current controlling means operating at a fixed relative speed to said longitudinal movement, means for moving said web laterally a predetermined amount at intervals. light source and light sensitive means made operative at intervals by said current control to cause said web to move laterally back toward its normal position thru the operation of said means for moving said web laterally.

The combination oi a web capable of moving longitudinally and means ior moving said web laterally a predetermined amount when said web moves out of its proper path to bring said web back into position, said means including lights and light sensitive means. means by which said lights and light sensitive means are rendered operative at intervals proportional to the longitudinal movement of said web, control circuits operated thru said lights and light sensitive means by the lateral movement oi' said web out o! its path and means for limiting the amount by which said web can be moved back to its proper path in any one operation.

9. In combination with a support for s. roll of material from which a web is being drawn. means for moving said support laterally, a single photoelectric cell actuated by the interception and tailure to intercept light rays by movement of said web away from its normal path, and means. responsive to the actuation of said cell, for actuating said support moving means.

10. In combination with a support for a roll o! material from which a continuous web is being drawn, means for moving said support laterally predetermined amounts within greater iixed limits, and means, responsive to deviations of said web from its normal path, for causing said moving means to move one only of said predetermined amounts until the effect oi said movement is refleeted in the position of the web at the place where said last named means is positioned.

ll. In combination with a support for a roll of paper from which a continuous web is being withdrawn, means for moving said support laterally; lamps; means for successively lighting and darkening said lamps; and means, responsive to said lamps, for starting said moving means.

l2. In combination with a support for a roll oi paper from which a continuous web is being withdrawn, means for moving said support laterally; lamps; means or alternately lighting and darkening said lamps successively; and means responsive to each oi said lamps, for starting said movins means.

i3. In combination with a support for a roll oi paper from which a continuous web is being withdrawn; means for moving said support laterally with respect to the normal path thereof; lamps; means for alternately lighting and turning oi! said lamps successively; light sensitive means positioned to react to light rays from said lamps. said iight sensitive means comprising means for ciosing a circuit: and means actuated by said circuit for actuating said moving means.

14. In combination with a support for a roll or paper from which a continuous web of paper is being withdrawn, means including a motor for moving said support laterally with respect to the normal path of said web; means for stopping said motor aiter said support has been moved a predetermined distance', means for starting said motor when said web diverges from its normal path; and means for rendering said last named means inoperative except at predetermined times, the time between the operative periods varying with the speed of the web.

i5. 1n combination with a support for a roli of material from which a web is being drawn, means for moving said support laterally. a light sensitive rneans` means for causing iight rays to fall upon said iight sensitive means. said light sensitive means being actuated by the action of an edge oi said web in intercepting and failing to intercept said iight rays, means for periodically interand means responsive to the actuation ot said light sensitive means for actuating said light responsive means.

16. 1n means for guiding longitudinally moving webs, the combination oi supporting means for said webs. means for moving said supporting means laterally by fixed amounts, means responsive to the movement out of a predetermined path oi an edge o! said web for detecting lateral deviations thereof means rendering said last named means operative only after the eiiect on the web of moving said support by one of said fixed amounts is reiiected at the position oi said detesting means. and means responsive to said detecting means for actuating said support moving means.

17. In means ior guiding a longitudinally moving web, the combination oi a support for said web, means for moving said support laterally. means for detecting lateral deviations of said web, means rendering said detecting means operative only after the effect of the last movement of the support moving means is reflected in the position oi the web at the point where said detecting means is located. and means responsive to said detecting means for actuating said support moving means.

ANDREW KING. 

